Abdulsalami Abubakar

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Abdulsalami Abubakar on a state visit to the USA in September 1998

Abdulsalami Abubakar (born June 13, 1942 in Minna ) was President of Nigeria from 1998 to 1999 .

soldier

Abubakar comes from Minna in today's Niger state . After attending school in Minna and Bida, he attended the Technical University of Kaduna . He joined the Air Force on October 3, 1963 and then switched to the Army . From 1964 to 1966 he was in Germany for training . He then took part in the Biafra War . In 1975 and 1977 he attended courses in the USA .

Between 1969 and 1979 he was in command of the 3rd Mechanized Brigade in Kano . After serving with the UN peacekeeping force UNIFIL in Lebanon in 1981 and 1982, he was promoted to colonel in 1984 . He was later commander of a division in Enugu and was appointed to the ruling Armed Forces Ruling Council (AFRC). He was then transferred to Kaduna and given command of the first mechanized division. During the military rule of Ibrahim Babangida , he was the head of the secret service . On November 17, 1993 he became chief of staff.

president

Abubakar had largely stayed out of political affairs during his military career. After the sudden death of Sani Abacha on June 8, 1998 , he was appointed his successor the next day, despite his poor health at the time. He set in motion a rapid democratization program to enable the military government that had existed since 1983 to be replaced by a civilian government. The political prisoners have been released and, with the help of international mediators, attempts have been made to persuade Moshood Abiola, the winner of the canceled 1993 presidential election, to withdraw his claim to office. Abiola died suddenly on July 7, 1998 . After Olusegun Obasanjo's victory in the presidential elections, the handover took place on May 29, 1999 , as announced in the summer of 1998 .

Further career

After his tenure in office he received awards from various states and organizations for Nigeria's return to democracy and was entrusted with diplomatic tasks on several occasions. In August 2000 he was appointed special envoy of the United Nations to the Democratic Republic of the Congo , and three years later the West African Economic Community (ECOWAS) sent him to Liberia as a mediator to end the civil war there.

family

Abubakar is married. His wife, Fatima, was working as a judge when he took office as head of state. He has three sons and three daughters.

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personal data
SURNAME Abubakar, abdulsalami
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Nigerian President
DATE OF BIRTH June 13, 1942
PLACE OF BIRTH Minna